Eddy current losses reduction in fractional slot concentrated winding PM generators for More Electric Engine application

Abstract

The aerospace trend is towards the More Electric Aircraft (MEA), which consists in the progressive electrification of the main on-board systems and services. The resulting increase of the aircraft electrical loading involves significant implications for on-board electrical generation systems, realizing the so-called More Electric Engine (MEE). In the MEE concept the electrical generators are integrated inside the main gas turbine engine to generate electrical power. In the paper the magnet losses of a surface mounted Permanent Magnet (PM) generator with non-overlapping fractional-slot concentrated windings, positioned in the front stage of the gas turbine engine, are evaluated. The benefits of the magnet segmentation aimed to the machine rotor losses reduction are investigated by means of a Finite Element Method analyses. The permanent magnet segmentation effects on machine performance and cogging torque are put in evidence too.